Milner delivered a professional verdict after Liverpool won 4-3 on Wednesday.
He didn’t get carried away after the win, though he did enjoy a cheeky pop at whoever operated the Anfield scoreboard, which inexplicably read 3-3 when the score was actually 3-1, which of course became quite an impressive prediction by the hour mark.
The midfielder was clear in his message – there is work to be done at Liverpool if they want to retain their European crown.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking to Sky Sports (as quoted by The Manchester Evening News), Graeme Souness has insisted Jonny Evans would walk into the current Manchester United team.
What did he say?
The 31-year-old played 198 times for the Red Devils in the early stages of his professional career, but is now part of the first-choice back four at fellow Premier League side Leicester.
Now, Souness has suggested that despite his increasing age, Evans still possesses some of the key qualities that mark him out as one of the better defenders in the league.
Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
He said: “I’m an enormous fan, of this guy (Evans) as well. I think at 31, he may have not reached his peak yet. When you look at Man United have at the back, he walks into the Man United team, for me. He looks to be a really solid character, not short of ability, a modern centre-back at times, he’s more than comfortable to take it in areas where a lot of centre-backs wouldn’t.
“He can make passes, senses danger, of course, he should at 31, but he’s an all-round top-class centre-half for me.”
Late bloomer
Despite making just short of 200 appearances for the club, Evans never really established himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet at Old Trafford. The Northern Ireland international has since stepped up his game considerably however, and in his debut campaign with Leicester last season, averaged impressive numbers of 1 tackle, 1.4 interceptions and 6.1 clearances per game.
Would he have become the centre-half he is now if he had just remained at United? Probably not. His exposure to consistent first-team football at Premier League level has helped him massively, and he may well be the ideal partner to Harry Maguire – his former Leicester teammate of course.
Compared to Maguire’s current partner in crime, Victor Lindelof, Evans has averaged more tackles, clearances and blocks this season in the Premier League, whilst he has also managed to pick up an assist. United could certainly do a lot worse than bringing the veteran defender back.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson should’ve substituted Andros Townsend onto the field in order to see the game out against Wolves.
Snapshot
The south Londoners were on the verge of recording a second home win in a row, having overcome Aston Villa in the last fixture at Selhurst Park, but were forced to settle for a point with just seconds remaining on the clock.
Leander Dendoncker’s own goal gave Palace a 1-0 lead immediately after half-time, but some extremely poor game management from Hodgson’s side allowed Diogo Jota to steal a point for Wolves right at the death.
The former England manager subbed Christian Benteke onto the field first, before bringing summer signing James McCarthy onto the pitch in the 82nd-minute – the pair were his only two introductions, but there was a glaringly obvious one that he decided against making.
Townsend should have been introduced
It remains to be seen what has happened with Townsend in terms of his involvement in the starting XI – he started the first two games of the season but has begun recent games against Manchester United and Aston Villa on the bench.
He did start against his former side Tottenham, but seemingly only because of an injury to James McArthur.
The England international – who has 13 caps for his country – can often be frustrating going forward, but one thing that he does guarantee his side is an admirable work rate and solid defensive contribution – the latter of which WhoScored have down under the player’s strengths.
One can’t help but think that, if Hodgson had subbed on the experienced winger, who has over 350 career appearances to his name, then Townsend’s willingness to track back and run the channels would have helped see out the remaining minutes of the game.
His fresh legs almost certainly would have been a huge bonus to his teammates, and seeing as Hodgson only made two subs throughout the game, it is fairly baffling that he didn’t bring Townsend on as his third and final switch.
Today’s Manchester United transfer roundup takes a look at what news has been grabbing the headlines over the last few days. Sean Longstaff is still one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top priorities, Jadon Sancho continues to be a major target, whilst the club looks to bring in Nathan Collins to help their defensive woes.
Longstaff amongst the ‘British hit list’
Soccer Football – Premier League – Newcastle United v Burnley – St James’ Park, Newcastle, Britain – February 26, 2019 Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff celebrates scoring their second goal with Jamaal Lascelles REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please
Report: According to ESPN, Sean Longstaff is amongst the names on Solskjaer’s hit list, as he seeks to recruit young British talent from around the continent. It is not reported how much the Newcastle midfielder would cost, although the United boss is keen to bring him in.
Verdict: It is no surprise to see United linked with so many young English talents, as they so often are. However, the addition of Longstaff may be more than just rumours after the midfielder was heavily linked with the Red Devils throughout the summer.
It is also no surprise to see Solskjaer want to recruit the 21-year-old based solely on the fact he let Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini depart so easily without a replacement. As a result, Longstaff would no doubt be a welcomed addition to the United squad, so don’t expect this to be the last time you hear about this saga.
How likely is a deal? 7/10
Sancho still top of the list
Report: The report from ESPN also states that Sancho still remains a top priority for Solskjaer and the United boss has not been put off by the 19-year-old signing a new bumper deal just a few weeks back. Sancho has been a target for the club for some time and it was confirmed in Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ that Dortmund chiefs met with United to discuss a deal for the Englishman over the summer.
Verdict: This looks like one of those transfers that is going to be talked about year after year until either Sancho puts the rumours to bed, or eventually signs. As confirmed in the Amazon show, perhaps the signing could be still on the cards with United yet to replace forwards Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku and therefore still eager to bring him to Old Trafford to help on the right flank.
Although, as alluded to, Sancho signed a new deal in August which will no doubt have bumped up his buyout clause tremendously. Consequently, as much as Solskjaer and the fans desire the move so badly, the reality is he may just be too expensive for the controversial Ed Woodward to even consider.
How likely is a deal? 5/10
Solskjaer targets Nathan Collins
Report: ESPN has reported Solskjaer is attempting to bring in Nathan Collins from Stoke City as the Norweigan looks to bring in several new faces over the next few windows. Irishman Collins is reported to be amongst United’s targets as Solskjaer aims to bring in more local talent, as opposed to international.
Verdict: With Chris Smalling on loan in Roma whilst the likes of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo spend more time in the physio room, Collins would certainly be a welcomed addition at Old Trafford in United’s central defence. The 18-year-old only broke into the first-team of Stoke this season and has played sporadically thus far, appearing in 4/7 Championship ties, although he continues to impress for the Potters when given the chance to do so.
Truthfully, when all considered, Collins probably wouldn’t offer United anything that academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe couldn’t – and even he can’t get into the team right now. Therefore, this transfer is not worth pursuing much unless Solskjaer can bag him on the cheap, nor is it one that could happen anyway.
Sheffield Wednesday finally appointed a successor to Steve Bruce, some two months after he departed the club for Premier League side Newcastle United.
In comes Garry Monk, who has had plenty of experience as a manager and even as a player in the Championship, namely in charge of Leeds, Middlesborough and most recently Birmingham.
He’s also played in the division at Swansea and also at Hillsborough for a brief period.
The 40-year-old’s time at the Blues was cut short following disagreements with the hierarchy at the club, which had been building up for some time anyway.
Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
His first game in charge of the Owls comes this Sunday against local-rivals Huddersfield, who themselves will have a new man in the dugout.
The Terriers appointed ex-Lincoln boss Danny Cowley, a manager that was linked with Wednesday’s post until Monk’s appointment.
But what will his starting XI look like this weekend, and maybe into the future?
Monk’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2 which he frequently used while at Birmingham last season.
Both Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz formed the partnership of a target man and poacher as they racked up 36 goals between them, the former earning a £15m move to Southampton.
That can be mirrored here quite easily as Monk will have plenty of options to choose from, but a pairing of Steven Fletcher, who has played all Championship matches this season, with someone like Sam Winnall makes sense to match that balance.
Jacob Murphy and Adam Reach should be the wing threat that this team needs to whip in crosses while Sam Hutchinson is likely to drop into defence, not only because Tom Lees faces time out, but also because he is better with the ball at his feet, averaging a passing success rate of 83.5%, and Monk admitted he is happy to adapt.
In midfield Barry Bannan and Massimo Luongo could form an unlikely. The latter has hardly featured, but he may well get the chance under a new boss – he contributed directly to 26 goals for QPR in 152 appearances.
Most other spots fill themselves like at right-back for example, where Moses Odubajo’s absence means Liam Palmer is likely to deputise whilst in goal, the club only really have Keiren Westwood as a solid option.
Raphinha is too big for Leeds United and will be looking for a fresh challenge, according to his former coach Vitor Campelos.
The Lowdown: Raphinha linked with exit
The Brazilian’s reputation has never been greater than at this moment, following an electric start to his Brazil career, with two goals and assists apiece coming his way in his first three caps.
Raphinha has been linked with leaving Leeds a number of times in recent weeks, with his agent even specifically mentioning summer interest from Liverpool.
[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]
The Latest: Coach makes worrying prediction
The winger’s former coach at Vitoria Guimaraes B, Campelos, told Record [via Sport Witness] in an eight-word verdict that Raphinha will be keen to leave Elland Rad in the near future:
“Leeds will already be too small for him.”
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Inevitable conclusion?
Sad though it may be, there does seem to be a feeling of inevitability about Raphinha moving on at some point soon, given his potential as a player.
Leeds are a top club in their own right, but they are not guaranteeing the winger Champions League football, which is a level he will surely want to try given he has now established himself as a star on the international stage.
It would be a shock if Raphinha left in the January transfer window given the negotiating power afforded by his contract running for three more years, but a summer exit is looking more on the cards all the time.
In other news, one Leeds player has been urged to ignore interest from a big Premier League club. Find out who it is here.
Former Everton star Michael Ball has hailed Abdoulaye Doucoure as the club’s most important player.
The French midfielder has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season under the management of Rafael Benitez.
Doucoure has made six appearances in the Premier League and has scored twice, while also providing three assists.
Signed from Watford for a fee of £20m, the midfielder has developed into one of the first names on the team sheet at Goodison Park.
Last season, he played 29 times in the league, and the Toffees struggled immensely when he was injured towards the end of the campaign.
Indeed, he missed a total of eight games between March and May and Everton only won two of them.
And Ball believes that Doucoure can now claim to be the club’s single most important first-team player under the management of Rafael Benitez.
He said: “Doucoure is our key guy. If he’s missing out of that central midfield role, no matter who’s alongside him, we’ll struggle.
“Allan can’t do it by himself, Tom Davies can’t do it by himself, they need a guy like Doucoure to run over every blade of grass and I think one of the fans said he saw him running past his window once when he was playing a game because he’s everywhere.”
Doucoure has a contract until 2023 and is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.
Leeds United target Lewis O’Brien is to sign a new contract at Huddersfield Town, The Athletic’s Phil Hay reports.Â
The lowdown: Bielsa and Orta impressed
O’Brien’s contract had been due to expire next June, though Huddersfield did have the option to extend it for a further year (via Transfermarkt).
The club’s chairman, Phil Hodgkinson, revealed earlier this month that they received four offers from Leeds during the summer transfer window, the last of which was worth £13million (via BBC Sport West Yorkshire).
One of O’Brien’s former team-mates, Calum Woods, described him an ‘excellent player’ who ‘can actually do anything’ (via Leeds Live), so it’s no surprise to see Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta so interested.
The latest: Blow for Leeds
In a tweet, Hay told Leeds fans there has been a ‘bit of news from elsewhere’.
O’Brien, who Hay confirmed as ‘one of Leeds’ summer targets’ is set to put pen to paper on a new deal with the Terriers ‘today’.
He’ll apparently be committing himself to the Championship outfit, currently seventh in the table, until 2024.
The verdict: Here comes the money
We shouldn’t immediately rule out a move to Leeds just because O’Brien is signing a new contract.
It will increase his price-tag, clearly, but the Whites remain in need of another central midfielder to provide depth behind Kalvin Phillips, and the fact that Orta and Bielsa were keen enough to make four attempts in the summer suggests they won’t just drop it now.
They’ve already returned to the table three times after seeing bids rejected, and if the manager is really that desperate to fit the hard-working midfielder into his plans, it seems likely that Orta will try to negotiate once more.
All that said, it is certainly a blow for Bielsa to see a target they spent all summer pursuing signing new terms elsewhere.
Manchester United will reportedly still prioritise signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland next summer despite bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the club in a shock move.
What’s the story?
The Red Devils were one of several clubs widely tipped to make a move for the highly-rated 21-year-old in 12 months’ time when a €75 million (£64m) release clause becomes active in his contract.
However, United’s sizeable financial outlay on Ronaldo raised concerns over their ability to bring Haaland to Old Trafford, but ESPN claim the English giants will have no such issues.
“Although the deal to sign Ronaldo was financed outside of United’s original summer transfer budget, sources have told ESPN it will not impact next year’s recruitment plans and the ongoing effort to win the race for Haaland,” the report read.
Manchester United fans will be delighted
News that United are still planning on securing the Norway international’s signature will leave the club’s supporters feeling delighted.
Although the arrival of Ronaldo on a short-term deal significantly strengthens the 20-time English champions, the 36-year-old is deep into the twilight of his career and isn’t a long-term solution to their striker woes.
Haaland, on the other hand, is at the opposite end of his career. Despite his tender years, the youngster has bagged an incredible 63 goals in just 64 games for Dortmund, providing a further 18 assists for his teammates.
Winning the DFB-Pokal last season was reward for his incredible efforts at the Signal Iduna Park, and his potential arrival in the red half of Manchester would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges forward line rival any in world football.
ESPN also state that Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in snapping up Haaland, although United may be confident of pipping their rivals to the Scandinavian beast.
Solskjaer was Haaland’s manager during his stint at Molde, and the pair are believed to have a good relationship. Only a few months ago, Solskjaer admitted he still talks to his compatriot, and the Red Devils boss would surely love to be reunited with the Dortmund ace one again.
And, in other news…Ronaldo & Sancho start, £120k-p/w beast axed: Man Utd’s predicted XI post Deadline Day
Marcus Rashford has hit back at the treatment he has received in the media, while reaffirming his commitment to Manchester United.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Rashford criticised in media
Alleged to have partied in Ireland
Also handed parking ticket, but has hit back
WHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford has penned a lengthy article for the Player's Tribune, in which he has reaffirmed his commitment to United amid severe criticism of his recent performances. He has also taken aim at the media, after seeing multiple stories surrounding a drunken night in Ireland, and parking tickets, published in multiple outlets.
Advertisement
Getty
WHAT RASHFORD SAID
Rashford wrote: "I’m not trying to have a go at the media. I understand the game, you know what I mean? They’re not really writing about me. It’s like they’re writing about this character, “Marcus Rashford.” It can’t just be about me as a 26-year-old lad on a night out, or a lad getting a parking ticket. It’s got to be about how much my car costs, guessing my weekly salary, my jewelry or even my tattoos. It’s got to be about my body language, and questioning my morals, and speculating about my family, and my football future. There’s a tone to it that you don’t get with all footballers. Let’s just leave it at that.
"I think some of it goes back to the pandemic. I was just trying to use my voice to make sure that kids weren’t going hungry, because I know exactly how it feels. For some reason, that seemed to rub certain people the wrong way. It seems like they’ve been waiting for me to have a human moment so they can point the finger and say, “See? See who he really is?”
"Listen, I’m not a perfect person. When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say that I need to do better. But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up. It’s like somebody questioning my entire identity, and everything I stand for as a man. Ihere. I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge."
AND WHAT'S MORE
Rashford also insists he will do anything for the United badge as he bids to get his form back on track, adding: "I can take any criticism. I can take any headline. From podcasts, social media and the papers. I can take it. But if you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football and bringing my family into it, then I’d simply ask you to have a bit more humanity."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty
DID YOU KNOW?
Rashford has scored five league goals this season, while also registering three assists. United are currently sixth in the Premier League table, eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and five behind fifth-placed Tottenham.